LONDON: The United States has expelled 60 Russian diplomats, and ordered the Seattle consulate shuttered in response to the UK spy case. The White House says the expulsion of Russian diplomats and closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle will “make the United States safer.” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement Monday President Donald Trump is responding to “Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom.” She says the move will reduce “Russia’s ability to spy on Americans and to conduct covert operations that threaten America’s national security.” The administration expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered Russia’s consulate in Seattle to close, as the United States and European nations sought to jointly punish Moscow for its alleged role in poisoning an ex-spy in Britain. Sanders says the United States and allies want to send a message to Russia that “actions have consequences.” Ukraine has followed suit by expelling 13 Russian diplomats as part of the response to the attempted assasination of Sergei Skripal on UK soil. Germany’s foreign minister on Monday said Berlin had ordered the expulsion of four Russian diplomats over the poisoning of a former spy in England, as EU nations step up the pressure on Moscow. “After the Salisbury poisoning Russia has still not helped clarify the situation. We did not take this decision lightly,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter. The move comes as part of a coordinated effort by EU nations and the US to punish Russia over the brazen nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4. European Union chief Donald Tusk says 14 member nations are expelling Russian diplomatic staff over the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Britain. Tusk said Monday that there may be additional measures including further expulsions in the coming days and weeks. In coordinated announcements of expulsions on Monday, the Czech Republic said it is kicking out three staffers from the Russian embassy. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis calls the measure an expression of solidarity with Britain. The Netherlands said it is expelling two Russian intelligence officers, while Estonia said it was expelling the Russian defense attache. The Italian Foreign Ministry announced that Italy would expel two Russian diplomats assigned to the embassy within a week. Russia hit back; implying that the US is destroying relations between the two countries. Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday it would respond to the decision by a large number of Western states to expel Russian diplomats and it accused their governments of blindly following their British allies into confrontation with Moscow. The ministry said in a statement that it viewed the expulsions, ordered in response to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury, as an unfriendly act and a provocative gesture. Britain has blamed Russia for the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter Yulia, a charge Moscow denies. British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed on Monday the action of other countries to expel Russian diplomats after an attack on a former Russian spy in England, saying it sent a strong signal to Moscow that it cannot flout international law. “We welcome today’s actions by our allies, which clearly demonstrate that we all stand shoulder to shoulder in sending the strongest signal to Russia that it cannot continue to flout international law,” a statement from May’s office said.